embrace false and loose schemes of religion, are buoyed up with presumptuous hopes, and practically say, "let us sin on, that grace may abound." Having got over their alarm, their repentance is finished; they live without remorse for the past, or tenderness of conscience for the present; nor have they any trouble in general about their sins; except perchance some outrage to common decency shame them before their fellow sinners.

These transient alarms and convictions are most effectually made use of by Satan, to keep men from true repentance. A general persuasion prevails, that we ought to repent, though few understand the real nature of repentance. However, this general persuasion frequently excites from time to time, considerable uneasiness of conscience, to him who considers himself impenitent. But when men falsely imagine they have repented, or do repent, this uneasiness ceases, and they continue impenitent with a quiet mind.

Let me here intreat the reader to pause, and put a few questions on the subject to himself.

'Has

6 it not been thus with me? Is it not so to this 'hour? Do I not keep my conscience from re'proaching me, or silence its friendly admoni'tions, by some general apprehension, that I am at times a penitent?'-I beseech thee leave not this consideration till thou hast carefully examined it, as in the sight of God, and with the day of judgment before thine eyes. Most certain it is,

that multitudes live all their lives in a continual course, of sinning and repenting in this way; and at length die impenitent.

But a man may be really sorry for particular sins, without being a true penitent. Conscience sometimes so reproaches men for certain enormous violation of all laws, human and divine, as to render them a terror to themselves: yea, they are exceedingly sorry that they ever committed those particular crimes, and would gladly undo them were it possible: and yet, this hath nothing in it of the nature of true repentance. Thus Judas repented of betraying Christ, confessing his guilt, making restitution, and even seeking to prevent the consequences of his base treachery: yea, he was so stung with remorse, that he could not live under the anguish, but became his own executioner. Yet he was not a true penitent; for the Lord assures us, "It had been good for that man had he never been born:" and we do not find that he ever expressed the least remorse for his hypocrisy, his covetousness, or his other wickedness of heart and life, in which he had continued all his days. The case is often the same with murderers, who are unspeakably troubled for one act of violence to a fellow creature; but not in the least concerned for all the contempt, ingratitude, and enmity, of which they have been guilty towards God. And the same is observable in respect of many other notorious offenders.-This VOL. IV.

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sorrow is not excited by a conviction, (resulting from knowledge and reflection,) of deep criminality in having sinned heinously by disobeying a good God, and breaking a good law; but it arises from the horror of having done violence to natural light and their own consciences, to that degree, that none of their former excuses and pretences can pacify them: God having preserved thus much of himself, and of his law, in our reason and conscience, as a check upon natural depravity, and to bridle the headstrong corruptions of those, who neither fear him, nor regard men; yet cannot act out all their evil purposes without becoming their own

tormentors.

But the sorrow of a true penitent is for sin, as committed against God, being rebellion against his rightful authority, and transgression of his holy law. "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, "and done this evil in thy sight. He mourns after a godly sort, with a godly sorrow, or a sorrow which directly regards God." His sorrow springs from the consideration of the majesty, purity, and excellency of that glorious Being whom he hath offended; the reasonableness of the law which he hath transgressed, the obligations to obedience which he hath violated, the injustice and ingratitude of which he hath been guilty, and the complicated odiousness of his conduct. every sin partakes of the same nature, and implies

As

the same disregard to God, he mourns for all, and every one; whether man were injured by it or not; whether it were secret or open; a sin of omission, or of commission; and whether it were or were not contrary to the notions, maxims, customs, and allowance of the world. Yea, every sinful temper, imagination, and inclination; every idle unprofitable word; every evil action of his whole life, as upon examination it recurs to his remembrance, excites afresh his godly sorrow. In proportion as he recollects the numberless instances of God's unwearied patience and kindness to him in former years, he becomes more sensible of his own ingratitude, forgetfulness, and disobedience: and the further he is enlightened to see the glory of God, the more hateful all sin appears, and the more he mourns over his own offences.

As therefore the glory of the divine character shines forth more illustriously from the person and sufferings of Jesus, than from all the other works of God; the true penitent's sorrow will be more or less intense, in proportion to the degree of his spiritual apprehensions and realizing views of that great event. When with fixed attention he can meditate on the divine Surety for sinners, agoniz. ing in the garden and expiring on the cross; when he can realize to his mind, in the exercise of faith, who He was that suffered; and what he endured from the cruelty and insult of men, the power and malice of Satan, and the avenging

justice of the Father; and wherefore he suffered, that he might bear our sins, and expiate our guilt: then! in an especial manner his mind is deeply impressed with admiring views of the awful holiness and justice, and the unfathomable love and compassion of God; then sin appears to his mind peculiarly odious, as committed against a God of such a lovely and loving character; then he becomes abominable in his own eyes, and mourns for his sins with peculiar humiliation. They now be come a sore burden, too heavy for him to bear; he goes mourning for them all the day long, yet mourns that he can mourn no more, is ashamed that he is no more affected, and abhors himself for the remaining hardness of his heart.

He now no longer vindicates his conduct, or extenuates his crimes: his mouth is stopped, his guilt is manifest, and he condemns himself. His Judgment of his own character is now totally changed: he used to admire and approve, now he abhors and loathes himself; he was disposed to'exalt himself, now he becomes more and more disposed to self-abasement. Then turning his thoughts inward, he traces back the streams of sin, which have polluted his life, to that fountain of iniquity in his heart from whence they sprang. Behold," says he, I was shapen in iniquity, "and in sin did my mother conceive me."". Abased in himself, and impressed with an awful

1 Psalm li. 5.

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